An Empty Vault
by Immortal Perses
Summary: Upon the very moment of Naruto's existence, he was not alone. In Wave, Naruto dies, and this is exactly what something needs to slip out from behind caged bars and from behind a locked door in the deepest consciousness. With something inside him, something whispering to him and showing him possibilities only known by a few, what path will he take? Hokage, or something more?


Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto nor am I profiting from this in any way

**Chapter 1 **

Naruto was a boy of a certain, particular status within his hometown of Konohagkaure No Sato. He was blonde, which was rare in the town (and it led to bored mothers talking about his possible origin – a local favourite was he was cursed and banished from the Inoichi clan).

He has three small, almost imperceptible whisker-like marks on his cheeks that poke outwards when he smiles. He's used this to his advantage numerous times over the years when foreign trades men and women come to the village. It usually won him a few free packets of ramen or apples or books. That was actually how he obtained his first Shinobi weapon, a kunai, given to him by a rather tall gentleman with strange marks on his hands and stranger hair that poked awkwardly out.

In fact, it was this kunai that Naruto was now looking at.

He had just returned from his first official Shinobi operation. Well, he considered it his first, working inside the village barely qualified as work, more of chore than anything else really. If the village didn't like him when he was an innocent, harmless child then picking up dog shit as a supposed 'member of the military' was hardly going to change anything.

This kunai had saved his life in his first operation. He wondered quietly to himself in his apartment, as the light came through the curtains and illuminated dust dancing in the sunlight, what would've happened if Haku had been just a second faster.

He wondered this question because he wasn't alone. No, as he sat in his empty apartment, on the edge of his bed with a matt black kunai in his hands, he wasn't alone. But it was a new presence.

There was _something_ _inside _him. He felt it the moment Haku riddled him with Ice Needles. He had felt the warmth of his blood on his skin and all he wanted was to get up. He wanted another chance. He _needed _another chance. There was no way, no fucking way this was how he was going to go out, barely out of the academy, no recognition in the Shinobi world, nothing! He wasn't going dying there!

As he begged for another chance, as his blood mixed with tears, he felt something move.

And it was _scorching. _

Chakra tore from his stomach, pouring out like someone had broken a dam and in an instant, it had completely enveloped his body. The only other person that knew was Sasuke. He was there when the needles in Naruto's body melted away and the wounds were filled with chakra before healing over. He was there when Naruto shot to his feet from the ground, and killed Haku. Zabuza was easy after that, Kakashi stuck him with a Chidori and took the head for confirmation as a completed bounty.

Naruto wished to do something about Gato, but a few words from Kakashi about the 'real world' and how it works in front of Sasuke and Sakura and when that didn't work, a direct order ensured Naruto received the message. Gato wasn't to be touched.

Apparently when word got out that Konoha Shinobi were in the village, Gato had made a substantial donation to Konoha's Restructuring Program and thus was untouchable to the team by decree of The Hokage. Something that angered Naruto at the time, but he understood why the Old Man had done what he had.

On the way back to the village, Kakashi joked that Zabuza's was a great addition to the crew.

Naruto wished that was the only addition. After Haku was disposed, the chakra retreated back to its epicentre on Naruto and in its stead, there was a voice.

Naruto felt it slithering around his skull, he felt it watching behind his eyes and heard it laughing when Haku dropped.

'_That shouldn't have pushed you. Pathetic.'_

Naruto felt the words on the inside, somewhere deeper than he knew of, some part of himself that he hadn't ever touched contained something dark. And it was still there.

He steadied his breathing and wiped the kunai dry. His blood was still on the blade even if his wound had closed seconds after. His headache was gone though.

Unceremoniously he got off his bed, got changed and walked out. Kakashi had requested that they meet at Training Ground 9 today.

He meandered through Konoha while remaining in his thoughts and when he approached the bridge they've unofficially agreed is their meeting spot. He noticed Sasuke and Sakura talking but paid it no mind, he just leaned against the railing and waited for Kakashi.

'-Ruto!'

He jolted up 'Listening!'

Sasuke looked at him and for the first time, Naruto noticed it wasn't his usual, half-lidded aloof exterior that he was used to. In fact, Naruto noticed two things, where he had bandages wrapped around his wrists they were now wrapped around his hands, and the edges of his lips looked strangely burnt.

'Sakura said she knew why we're meeting here today. Has to do with the other teams around here lately.' As he spoke, he moved his hands to his mouth and picked at a scab slightly.

'Other teams?' Naruto muttered 'What other teams?'

Sakura turned around from looking into the water on the bridge and faced Naruto 'What do you mean "What other teams"? The teams that have been wondering around here for a week? The teams that have been flooding in and out of the Hokage's office?'

'I haven't been out since we got back, I haven't noticed anything.'

'Why?' Sasuke asked. But it sounded like more than curiosity, there was a lying undertone that Naruto couldn't quite decide on what it was. Sasuke quickly followed up with 'You weren't hurt on the mission, it's not like you needed the rest.'

Naruto frowned. After the Haku incident, Kakashi was confused on the lack of blood covering Naruto considering the number of holes in his tracksuit. Sasuke mentioned that Naruto was involved only at the end of the fight when Haku was getting tired and thus was able to narrowly dodge and weave through the needles. Naruto wasn't entirely sure on why he agreed with Sasuke on that one. Something told him he just didn't want anyone to know about what really happened.

'Anyway...' Sakura took charge of the conversation again while Naruto looked down at his feet 'The other teams are here because I think that the Chuunin exams are being held here. It's been a few years since they were last held, so it's about time, right?'

She proposed the end of the sentence to Sasueke who looked confused for a second then nodded with a slow wave of recognition 'If the Chuunin exams are soon, and we've just returned from-'

'Very good you two.'

Sakura turned with a jump and Naruto looked up to see their Scarecrow walking up the bridge on Naruto's right holding three papers that were lodged into the middle of his book. His one eye shot over all three of them and lingered on the scorch marks on Sasuke's mouth for a second before looking at Sakura and nodding at her 'I believe it was you, Miss Haruno that figured it out?'

'A shade redder and I think she might actually explode.' thought Naruto

'Yes.' She spoke then cleared her throat then spoke with more authority 'The Chuunin exams are to be held soon, so I'm guessing we're going to enter, Captain?'

Kakashi pulled the three pages out of his book with a flourish and turned them around. Verification forms.

'I won't force you to enter the competition.' He handed a form to Sasuke first along with a pen, then Naruto and Sakura 'However, as the competition is meant to ensure a deeper bond develops between your comrades and yourself, you can only enter the competition if everyone agrees. Slightly counterintuitive if you ask me but those are the rules.'

Sasuke was the first the sign with no hesitation and handed his form back to Kakashi.

Naruto almost signed it right away too but stopped for a second to think. He was sure that there was something there, with him right now, something inside him. He couldn't hear a voice, but he could _feel _it creeping and slithering down his spine and pulsing up his legs and twirling around his fingers.

'Don't feel confident enough, Naruto?' Kakashi asked. Naruto swore that his one eye somehow twinkled as he asked this, and that's what made him sign the form and hand it over quickly.

That what he would tell people if they asked anyway.

Naruto turned to look at Sakura, who seemed to be having the same trouble as him. Her pink hair danced around her cheeks like chimes in a slight breeze. She looked up for a moment, looked at Sasuke, then Kakashi, then at Naruto, looked back down at her form and a few seconds later she signed quickly.

She handed it over to Kakashi and smiled, 'You don't even need to ask, Captain. We'll crush this exam!'

Kakashi regarded his Genin coolly before speaking, his voice ever-muffled by his mask 'I didn't think that you would say no anyway.' He looked at Naruto for a second longer than the rest 'But this is serious.'

Kakashi adjusted his headband slightly before continuing 'There are teams here from Suna and Kumo, not to mention some new Village of Sound that we haven't even seen in action yet.'

Sasuke, still leaning against the railing of the bridge spoke up 'I can handle it Captain. We just took down Zazuza Momochi, I'm sure we can handle No Name Genin from a new village.'

'No.' Kakashi corrected '_I_ took down Zabuza. You, with the help of Naruto, took down Zabuza's partner.'

Before Sakura stepped forward Naruto asked when the exams were being held and after informing them that he'll collect them next week on the day at breakfast and they "better be up, or you're getting kicked from the team." he vanished with a peace sign and a Kawarimi.

After a few moments of silence, Sakura spoke up 'Well.' She sang 'I'm sure that we could all train for what's to come up.' She moved so she was between the other two members of the team 'But before, I could eat.'

She walked so she was slightly ahead of them and without turning asked 'Sasuke, my mum's making something foreign tonight. Wanna come 'round and...'

She let the end of her sentence hang.

No response.

She turned around, both Naruto and Sasuke were gone.

A few kawarimis later and Naruto and Sasuke were by themselves.

Naruto stood a few feet from Sasuke in Training Ground 3, just a few minutes from the library. It was silent bar sound of grunts every now and again coming from the smaller and near Training Ground 1.

Sasuke opened his mouth once, twice and on the third, he managed to speak.

'What the fuck are you, Naruto.'

This came without the usual morose undertone. That was when Naruto noticed there was more than fresh bandages and burnt lips that had changed with Sasuke. His hands were shaking, not twitching, no this was more akin to a leaf in a tornado.

Naruto didn't answer.

'WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU!?'

The fireball was unexpected. Naruto would've liked to say he caught on at the last second and used a Kawarimi to get away or that a Shadow Clone bravely sacrificed itself and took the hit. But as the mass of angry, coiling, fire closed the distance in a second, he didn't have time.

It impacted with the full explosion.

Now, Naruto has been hit with a fireball before. It was part of mandatory exercise set up and apparently invented by Kakashi where they would use whatever Jutsu they knew and more importantly, could control, on one another. By Kakashi's logic, it doesn't matter what you're hit with, if you know what it is, you can survive.

Which is a good philosophy in Naruto's mind. But there were a few variables that could dramatically alter the outcome of such an event. Such as shock. Or more accurately, the shock of seeing fire, instead of devouring and blazing, _slithering _around one's arms could induce the right amount of shock to render that philosophy in need of revising.

The fireball still completely impacted and so Naruto was blown back. The clean Training Ground now had upturned fresh soil along with decorative scorch marks along the grass.

But the fire hadn't extinguished just yet. It still existed along Naruto's arms dancing and twirling on the edge of his orange tracksuit. It stood still for a moment, then travelled down his arms, started swirling around his stomach and _sunk _into Naruto a moment later.

He screamed.

He clawed at his tracksuit, ripping a few of the zips off and bared his chest to the world.

There was nothing. Then there was a voice.

It came as a gentle as a stream but with a message as furious the ocean.

'_Annihilate_'

And for a moment, did Naruto want to.

When Naruto looked up and saw Sasuke, still with his hands locked in the final sign of a Fireball, with tears streaming down his face and eyes wide and terrified and hinting at things unseen by others, at things made of a widow's cry, made of things that make children frightened at night, of things that move when you just move your eyes away, when Naruto saw those things, he wanted to get up.

He wanted to _annihiliate. _

So, he stood up.

Sasuke Screamed. A scream of horror that ripped through the air and made the hair on Naruto's neck stand as if electrified.

Naruto took a step forward.

Tears came down Sasuke's face. Honest tears, tears that are cried at a funeral, tears that are wept by a man with nothing left, and tears like that, they attract things from stories. Tears like that, that belong to a grieving child, they attract things that are better left unseen by men and women and children and animals and gods and most importantly, the best remain unseen from the thing that they want.

And so, as Sasuke wept, Naruto thought something that shocked him so deeply, something that he would never think and it knocked Naruto back to reality and back to the surface of his being from wherever he had gone.

'Hey! What Th-Sasuke!'


End file.
